Msca1 nucleotide sequences impacting plant male fertility and method of using same

ABSTRACT

Nucleotide sequences of a Msca1 gene, critical to male fertility in plants are described, with DNA molecule and amino acid sequences set forth. Promoter sequences and their essential regions are also identified. The nucleotide sequences are useful in impacting male fertility in plants.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of previously filed and copending application U.S. Ser. No. 11/833,363, filed Aug. 3, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Development of hybrid plant breeding has made possible considerable advances in quality and quantity of crops produced. Increased yield and combination of desirable characteristics, such as resistance to disease and insects, heat and drought tolerance, along with variations in plant composition are all possible because of hybridization procedures. These procedures frequently rely heavily on providing for a male parent contributing pollen to a female parent to produce the resulting hybrid.

Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of the plant's method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinating if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant or a genetically identical plant. A plant is cross-pollinated if the pollen comes from a flower on a different plant.

In certain species, such as Brassica campestris, the plant is normally self-sterile and can only be cross-pollinated. In self-pollinating species, such as soybeans and cotton, the male and female plants are anatomically juxtaposed. During natural pollination, the male reproductive organs of a given flower pollinate the female reproductive organs of the same flower.

Maize plants (Zea mays L.) present a unique situation in that they can be bred by both self-pollination and cross-pollination techniques. Maize has male flowers, located on the tassel, and female flowers, located on the ear, on the same plant. It can self or cross pollinate. Natural pollination occurs in maize when wind blows pollen from the tassels to the silks that protrude from the tops of the incipient ears.

The development of maize hybrids requires the development of homozygous inbred lines, the crossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection are two of the breeding methods used to develop inbred lines from populations. Breeding programs combine desirable traits from two or more inbred lines or various broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new inbred lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. A hybrid maize variety is the cross of two such inbred lines, each of which may have one or more desirable characteristics lacked by the other or which complement the other. The new inbreds are crossed with other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which have commercial potential. The hybrid progeny of the first generation is designated F₁. In the development of hybrids only the F₁ hybrid plants are sought. The F₁ hybrid is more vigorous than its inbred parents. This hybrid vigor, or heterosis, can be manifested in many ways, including increased vegetative growth and increased yield.

Hybrid maize seed can be produced by a male sterility system incorporating manual detasseling. To produce hybrid seed, the male tassel is removed from the growing female inbred parent, which can be planted in various alternating row patterns with the male inbred parent. Consequently, providing that there is sufficient isolation from sources of foreign maize pollen, the ears of the female inbred will be fertilized only with pollen from the male inbred. The resulting seed is therefore hybrid (F₁) and will form hybrid plants.

Field variation impacting plant development can result in plants tasseling after manual detasseling of the female parent is completed. Or, a female inbred plant tassel may not be completely removed during the detasseling process. In any event, the result is that the female plant will successfully shed pollen and some female plants will be self-pollinated. This will result in seed of the female inbred being harvested along with the hybrid seed which is normally produced. Female inbred seed does not exhibit heterosis and therefore is not as productive as F₁ seed. In addition, the presence of female inbred seed can represent a germplasm security risk for the company producing the hybrid.

Alternatively, the female inbred can be mechanically detasseled by machine. Mechanical detasseling is approximately as reliable as hand detasseling, but is faster and less costly. However, most detasseling machines produce more damage to the plants than hand detasseling. Thus, no form of detasseling is presently entirely satisfactory, and a need continues to exist for alternatives which further reduce production costs and to eliminate self-pollination of the female parent in the production of hybrid seed.

A reliable system of genetic male sterility would provide advantages. The laborious detasseling process can be avoided in some genotypes by using cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) inbreds. In the absence of a fertility restorer gene, plants of a CMS inbred are male sterile as a result of factors resulting from the cytoplasmic, as opposed to the nuclear, genome. Thus, this characteristic is inherited exclusively through the female parent in maize plants, since only the female provides cytoplasm to the fertilized seed. CMS plants are fertilized with pollen from another inbred that is not male-sterile. Pollen from the second inbred may or may not contribute genes that make the hybrid plants male-fertile. Usually seed from detasseled normal maize and CMS produced seed of the same hybrid must be blended to insure that adequate pollen loads are available for fertilization when the hybrid plants are grown and to insure cytoplasmic diversity.

One type of genetic sterility is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,465 and 4,727,219 to Brar, et al. However, this form of genetic male sterility requires maintenance of multiple mutant genes at separate locations within the genome and requires a complex marker system to track the genes and make use of the system convenient. Patterson also described a genic system of chromosomal translocations which can be effective, but which are complicated. (See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,861,709 and 3,710,511.)

Many other attempts have been made to improve on these systems. For example, Fabijanski, et al., developed several methods of causing male sterility in plants (see EPO 89/3010153.8 publication no. 329,308 and PCT application PCT/CA90/00037 published as WO 90/08828). One method includes delivering into the plant a gene encoding a cytotoxic substance associated with a male tissue specific promoter. Another involves an antisense system in which a gene critical to fertility is identified and an antisense to the gene inserted in the plant. Fabijanski, et al. also shows several cytotoxic antisense systems. See EP0329308. Still other systems use “repressor” genes which inhibit the expression of another gene critical to male sterility. See PCT/GB90/00102, published as WO 90/08829. For yet another example see U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,348.

A still further improvement of this system is one described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,369 in which a method of imparting controllable male sterility is achieved by inactivating or otherwise silencing a gene native to the plant that is critical for male fertility and transforming that plant with the gene critical to male fertility linked to an inducible promoter controlling expression of the gene. That is, the expression of the endogenous sequence is prevented, by any of the methods known to a skilled person in the art for preventing expression of a sequence (such an antisense methods, cosuppression, mutation, use of ribozymes or hairpins, various repression systems and the like, discussed infra.) The plant is thus constitutively sterile, becoming fertile only when the promoter is induced and its linked male fertility gene is expressed.

In a number of circumstances, a male sterility plant trait is expressed by maintenance of a homozygous recessive condition. Difficulties arise in maintaining the homozygous condition, when a restoration gene must be used for maintenance. For example, a natural mutation in a gene critical to male fertility can impart a male sterility phenotype to plants when this mutant allele is in the homozygous state. But because this homozygosity results in male sterility, the homozygous male-sterile line cannot be maintained. Fertility is restored when the non-mutant form of the gene is introduced into the plant. However, this form of line maintenance removes the desired homozygous recessive condition, restores full male fertility in half of the resulting progeny, and prevents maintenance of pure male sterile maternal lines. These issues can be avoided where production of pollen containing the restoration gene is eliminated, thus providing a maintainer plant producing only pollen not containing the restoration gene, and the progeny retain their homozygous condition when fertilized by such pollen. An example of one approach is shown in Dellaporta et al., 6,743,968, in which a plant is produced having a hemizygotic construct comprising a gene that produces a product fatal to a cell, linked with a pollen-specific promoter, and the restoration gene. When crossed with the homozygous recessive male sterile plant, the progeny thus retains the homozygous recessive condition.

As noted, an essential aspect of much of the work underway with male sterility systems is the identification of genes impacting male fertility. Such a gene can be used in a variety of systems to control male fertility including those described herein.

Genetic male sterility results from a mutation, suppression, or other impact to one of the genes critical to a specific step in microsporogenesis, the term applied to the entire process of pollen formation. These genes can be collectively referred to as male fertility genes (or, alternatively, male sterility genes). There are many steps in the overall pathway where gene function impacts fertility. This seems aptly supported by the frequency of genetic male sterility in maize. New alleles of male sterility mutants are uncovered in materials that range from elite inbreds to unadapted populations.

At U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,369 there is described a method by which the Ms45 male fertility gene was tagged and cloned on maize chromosome 9. Previously, there had been described a male sterility gene on chromosome 9, ms2, which had never been cloned and sequenced. It is not allelic to the gene referred to in the '369 patent. See Albertsen, M. and Phillips, R. L., “Developmental Cytology of 13 Genetic Male Sterile Loci in Maize” Canadian Journal of Genetics & Cytology 23:195-208 (January 1981). The only fertility gene cloned before that had been the Arabadopsis gene described at Aarts, et al., supra. Examples of genes that have been discovered subsequently that are critical to male fertility are numerous and include the Arabidopsis ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS) gene, Sorensen et al., The Plant Journal (2003) 33(2):413-423); the Arabidopsis MS1 gene (Wilson et al., The Plant Journal (2001) 39(2):170-181); the NEF1 gene (Ariizumi et al., The Plant Journal (2004) 39(2):170-181); Arabidopsis AtGPAT1 gene (Zheng et al., The Plant Cell (2003) 15:1872-1887); the Arabdiopsis dde2-2 mutation was shown to be defective in the allene oxide syntase gene (Malek et al., Planta (2002)216:187-192); the Arabidopsis faceless pollen-1 gene (flp1) (Ariizumi et al, Plant Mol. Biol. (2003) 53:107-116); the Arabidopisis MALE MEIOCYTE DEATH1 gene (Yang et al., The Plant Cell (2003) 15: 1281-1295); the tapetum-specific zinc finger gene, TAZ1 (Kapoor et al., The Plant Cell (2002) 14:2353-2367); and the TAPETUM DETERMINANT1 gene (Lan et al, The Plant Cell (2003) 15:2792-2804).

The table below lists a number of known male fertility mutants or genes from Zea mays.

GENE NAME ALTERNATE NAME REFERENCE ms1 male sterile1 male sterile1, ms1 Singleton, WR and Jones, DF. 1930. J Hered 21: 266-268 ms10 male sterile10 male sterile10, ms10 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms11 male sterile11 ms11, male sterile11 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms12 male sterile12 ms12, male sterile12 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms13 male sterile13 ms*-6060, male sterile13, Beadle, GW. 1932. ms13 Genetics 17: 413-431 ms14 male sterile14 ms14, male sterile14 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms17 male sterile17 ms17, male sterile17 Emerson, RA. 1932. Science 75: 566 ms2 male sterile2 male sterile2, ms2 Eyster, WH. 1931. J Hered 22: 99-102 ms20 male sterile20 ms20, male sterile20 Eyster, WH. 1934. Genetics of Zea mays. Bibliographia Genetica 11: 187-392 ms23 male sterile23 ms*-6059, ms*-6031, ms*- West, DP and Albertsen, MC. 6027, ms*-6018, ms*-6011, 1985. MNL 59: 87 ms35, male sterile23, ms*- Bear7, ms23 ms24 male sterile24 ms24, male sterile24 West, DP and Albertsen, MC. 1985. MNL 59: 87 ms25 male sterile25 ms*-6065, ms*-6057, Loukides, CA; Broadwater, AH; ms25, male sterile25, ms*- Bedinger, PA. 1995. 6022 Am J Bot 82: 1017-1023 ms27 male sterile27 ms27, male sterile27 Albertsen, MC. 1996. MNL 70: 30-31 ms28 male sterile28 ms28, male sterile28 Golubovskaya, IN. 1979. MNL 53: 66-70 ms29 male sterile29 male sterile29, ms*-JH84A, Trimnell, MR et al. 1998. ms29 MNL 72: 37-38 ms3 male sterile3 Group 3, ms3, male sterile3 Eyster, WH. 1931. J Hered 22: 99-102 ms30 male sterile30 ms30, msx, ms*-6028, ms*- Albertsen, MC et al. 1999. Li89, male sterile30, ms*- MNL 73: 48 LI89 ms31 male sterile31 ms*-CG889D, ms31, male Trimnell, MR et al. 1998. sterile31 MNL 72: 38 ms32 male sterile32 male sterile32, ms32 Trimnell, MR et al. 1999. MNL 73: 48-49 ms33 male sterile33 ms*-6054, ms*-6024, Patterson, EB. 1995. MNL ms33, ms*-GC89A, ms*- 69: 126-128 6029, male sterile6019, Group 7, ms*-6038, ms*- Stan1, ms*-6041, ms*- 6019, male sterile33 ms34 male sterile34 Group 1, ms*-6014, ms*- Patterson, EB. 1995. MNL 6010, male sterile34, ms34, 69: 126-128 ms*-6013, ms*-6004, male sterile6004 ms36 male sterile36 male sterile36, ms*-MS85A, Trimnell, MR et al. 1999. ms36 MNL 73: 49-50 ms37 male sterile 37 ms*-SB177, ms37, male Trimnell, MR et al. 1999. sterile 37 MNL 73: 48 ms38 male sterile38 ms30, ms38, ms*-WL87A, Albertsen, MC et al. 1996. male sterile38 MNL 70: 30 ms43 male sterile43 ms43, male sterile43, ms29 Golubovskaya, IN. 1979. Int Rev Cytol 58: 247-290 ms45 male sterile45 Group 6, male sterile45, Albertsen, MC; Fox, TW; ms*-6006, ms*-6040, ms*- Trimnell, MR. 1993. Proc BS1, ms*-BS2, ms*-BS3, Annu Corn Sorghum Ind ms45, ms45′-9301 Res Conf 48: 224-233 ms48 male sterile48 male sterile48, ms*-6049, Trimnell, M et al. 2002. ms48 MNL 76: 38 ms5 male sterile5 : ms*-6061, ms*-6048, ms*- Beadle, GW. 1932. 6062, male sterile5, ms5 Genetics 17: 413-431 ms50 male sterile50 ms50, male sterile50, ms*- Trimnell, M et al. 2002. 6055, ms*-6026 MNL 76: 39 ms7 male sterile7 ms7, male sterile7 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms8 male sterile8 male sterile8, ms8 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms9 male sterile9 Group 5, male sterile9, ms9 Beadle, GW. 1932. Genetics 17: 413-431 ms49 male sterile49 ms*-MB92, ms49, male sterile49 Trimnell, M et al. 2002. MNL 76: 38-39

There remains a need to identify nucleotide sequences critical to male fertility in plants. There also remains a need to identify regulatory regions which preferentially direct expression to male tissue of a plant.

In the present invention the inventors provide novel DNA molecules and the amino acid sequence encoded that are critical to male fertility in plants. These can be used in any of the systems where control of fertility is useful, including those described above.

Thus, one object of the invention is to provide a nucleic acid sequence, the expression of which is critical to male fertility in plants and in which a mutation of the sequence causes male sterility when in the homozygous state.

Another object is to provide regulatory regions that preferentially direct expression of operably linked nucleotide sequences to male tissue(s) of a plant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of using such nucleotide sequences to mediate male fertility in plants.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent in the description and claims that follow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to nucleic acid sequences, and, specifically, DNA molecules and the amino acid encoded by the DNA molecules, which are critical to male fertility. Impacting the functional expression of such sequences results in the mediation of male fertility. Regulatory regions directing expression preferentially to male tissue are also provided. The invention also relates to use of such nucleotide sequences to mediate fertility in plants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a locus map of the male fertility gene Msca1.

FIG. 2 is the nucleotide sequence of the Msca1 gene (SEQ ID NO: 1)

FIG. 3 is the protein sequence of Msca1 (SEQ ID NO: 2)

FIG. 4 is the msca1-ref nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 3)

FIG. 5 is an alignment of fertile and sterile msca1-mg12 alleles, (the nucleotide sequence of the fertile is SEQ ID NO: 4; the protein sequence is SEQ ID NO: 5; the nucleotide sequence of msca1-mg12 sterile is SEQ ID NO: 6 and the protein sequence is SEQ ID NO: 7). The fertile allele sequence contains an additional 490 base pairs deleted from the 3′ region of the sterile sequence.

FIG. 6 shows alignment of the Msca1 wildtype gene from the corn hybrid Missouri 17 (Mo17) (SEQ ID NO: 8) with msca1-mg12 alleles in a fertile plant (Mg12-Fert) (SEQ ID NO: 9) and a sterile plant (Mg12-Ster) (SEQ ID NO:10). The circled region refers to the CCMC redox motif (SEQ ID NO: 11) and the gluteredoxin binding site (GSH Binding) (SEQ ID NO: 12) is underlined.

FIG. 7A-7F shows alignment of the msca1 alleles, Ms22-6036 from a fertile plant (Fert) SEQ ID NO: 13, coding SEQ ID NO: 23) with a sterile plant (6036s) (SEQ ID NO: 14, coding SEQ ID NO: 24). The sterile sequence contains an 850 base pair insertion at the 3′ end. The insertion contains small perfect TIRs of eight basepairs (indicated at “TIR”) with about 200 basepairs of a transposon-like sequence.

FIG. 8 shows a graphic alignment of the Msca1 sequence with mutant alleles msca1-ref, msca1-mg12 and msca1-6036.

FIG. 9 is the full length promoter of Msca1 (SEQ ID NO: 15)

FIG. 10 is the nucleotide sequence of the rice Msca1 gene (SEQ ID NO: 16)

FIG. 11 is the protein sequence of rice Msca1 (SEQ ID NO: 17)

FIG. 12 is the full length promoter of rice Msca1 (SEQ ID NO: 18)

FIG. 13 is the sequence of the rice msca1 allele (SEQ ID NO: 19).

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

All references referred to are incorporated herein by reference.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Unless mentioned otherwise, the techniques employed or contemplated herein are standard methodologies well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The materials, methods and examples are illustrative only and not limiting.

The invention includes using the sequences shown herein to impact male fertility in a plant, that is, to control male fertility by manipulation of the genome using the genes of the invention. By way of example, without limitation, any of the methods described infra can be used with the sequence of the invention such as introducing a mutant sequence into a plant to cause sterility, causing mutation to the native sequence, introducing an antisense of the sequence into the plant, use of hairpin formations, linking it with other sequences to control its expression, or any one of a myriad of processes available to one skilled in the art to impact male fertility in a plant.

The Msca1 gene (also referred to as Ms22) described herein is located on short arm of maize chromosome 7 and its dominant allele encodes a protein critical to male fertility. The locus map is represented at FIG. 1. The Msca1 gene can be used in the systems described above, and other systems impacting male fertility.

Mutations referred to as ms22 or msca1 were first noted as phenotypically male sterile with anthers did not exude from the tassel and lacked sporogenous tissue. West and Albertsen (1985) Maize Newsletter 59:87; Neuffer et al. (1977) Mutants of maize. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. The mutant locus was originally referred to as ms22 but was later changed to msca1, or male sterile converted anther. See Chaubal et al. “The transformation of anthers in the msca1 mutant of maize” Planta (2003)216:778-788.

Study of the mutant included collecting anthers from young spikelets of immature tassels in plant families segregating 1:1 for male sterile/male fertility plants for microscopic study. Using an F₂ family segregating for the msca1 mutation, DNA was isolated from male sterile plants, electrophoresed and hybridized with restriction fragment length polymorphism markers, and mapped to chromosome 7. See Chaubal et al. “The transformation of anthers in the msca1 mutant of maize” Planta (2003)216:778-788.

The msca1 mutants are unusual in that stamen primordia develop normally, but differentiation and cell division do not occur, with the tissue instead developing into nonfunctional vascular tissue. There is no asymmetric division of archesporial cells into large primary sporogenous and smaller primary parietal cells. Instead, the anther contains parenchymal cells and non-functional vascular strands with no formation of normal anther cells such as microspores, tapetum, middle layer and endothecium. All of the cell layers of the anther convert in mutant plants into vegetative structures. Since the Msca1 gene operates after stamen primordial initiation and before division of the archesporial cells, interruption of gene expression acts as a developmental block. As opposed to other male sterility genes such as MAC1, EMS1 or GNE2 (Sorensen et al. (2002) Plant J. 29:581-594) rather than breaking down cells in the quartet stage, microspores never develop. Mutations in the SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE gene act early in development, but impact both anther and ovule formation such that plants are male and female sterile. Yang et al. The SPOROCYTELESS gene of Arabidopsis is required for initiation of sporogenesis and encodes a novel nuclear protein. Genes Dev. 1999 Aug. 15; 13(16):2108-17. The Msca1 gene expression when interrupted does not impact floral tissue. Rather, the anther is transformed into a vegetative structure and microsporogenesis never begins and the end result is greatly increased reliability in maintenance of male sterility.

The invention is also directed to impacting male fertility of a plant by impacting the Msca1 nucleotide sequence. Impacting male fertility refers to a change in the male fertility of the plant from the fertility phenotype prior to impacting the nucleotide sequence. It may result in male sterility, as when the sequence is impacted such that expression of the Msca1 male fertility critical gene does not occur as in the wild-type condition. The fertility of a plant may also be impacted by, for example, introducing into a plant that comprises a mutated msca1 allele, a Msca1 nucleotide sequence which restores fertility. Clearly, many variations are possible in impacting male fertility depending upon the specific application. Impacting the Msca1 nucleotide sequence can be accomplished using many tools available to one skilled in the art, as discussed in examples below. By way of example, the gene may contain an insertion, such as that shown in msca1-6036 allele, or have a deletion, such as with msca1-mg12 allele. Use of mutagenesis, antisense genes, co-suppression, hairpin formations, selecting for mutant plants, insertion of one or more additional sequences which act to disrupt the gene expression are a few examples of the many means available to interrupt expression of the Msca1 gene. Further, the invention is directed to restoring male fertility in a plant having expression of Msca1 disrupted, by introducing into the plant the wild-type Msca1 complementary sequence.

It will be evident to one skilled in the art that variations, mutations, derivations including fragments smaller than the entire sequence set forth may be used which retain the male sterility controlling properties of the gene. As used herein, a “functional fragment” of the Msca1 sequence is a nucleotide sequence that is formed by one or more deletions from the entire sequence and which retains the functional of being critical for male fertility. One of ordinary skill in the art can readily assess the variant or fragment by its introduction into plants homozygous for a stable male sterile allele of Msca1, followed by observation of the plant's male tissue development.

The sequences of the invention may be isolated from any plant, including, but not limited to corn (Zea mays), canola (Brassica napus, Brassica rapa ssp.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), rice (Oryza sativa), rye (Secale cereale), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, Sorghum vulgare), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), wheat (Triticum aestivum), soybean (Glycine max), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), millet (Panicum spp.), potato (Solanum tuberosum), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatus), cassaya (Manihot esculenta), coffee (Cofea spp.), coconut (Cocos nucifera), pineapple (Ananas comosus), citrus trees (Citrus spp.), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), tea (Camellia sinensis), banana (Musa spp.), avocado (Persea americana), fig (Ficus casica), guava (Psidium guajava), mango (Mangifera indica), olive (Olea europaea), oats (Avena sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare), vegetables, ornamentals, and conifers. Preferably, plants include corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola, wheat, barley, rye, alfalfa, rice, cotton and sorghum.

Sequences from other plants may be isolated according to well-known techniques based on their sequence homology to the homologous coding region of the sequences set forth herein. In these techniques, all or part of the known coding sequence is used as a probe which selectively hybridizes to other sequences present in a population of cloned genomic DNA fragments (i.e. genomic libraries) from a chosen organism. Methods are readily available in the art for the hybridization of nucleic acid sequences. An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleic acids is found in Tijssen, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology—Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes, Part I, Chapter 2 “Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid probe assays”, Elsevier, New York (1993); and Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Chapter 2, Ausubel, et al., Eds., Greene Publishing and Wiley-Interscience, New York (1995).

Thus the invention also includes those nucleotide sequences which selectively hybridize to the Msca1 nucleotide sequences under stringent conditions. In referring to a sequence that “selectively hybridizes” with Msca1, the term includes reference to hybridization, under stringent hybridization conditions, of a nucleic acid sequence to the specified nucleic acid target sequence to a detectably greater degree than its hybridization to non-target nucleic acid.

The terms “stringent conditions” or “stringent hybridization conditions” includes reference to conditions under which a probe will hybridize to its target sequence, to a detectably greater degree than to other sequences. Stringent conditions are target-sequence-dependent and will differ depending on the structure of the polynucleotide. By controlling the stringency of the hybridization and/or washing conditions, target sequences can be identified which are 100% complementary to a probe (homologous probing). Alternatively, stringency conditions can be adjusted to allow some mismatching in sequences so that lower degrees of similarity are detected (heterologous probing). Generally, probes of this type are in a range of about 1000 nucleotides in length to about 250 nucleotides in length.

An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleic acids is found in Tijssen, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology—Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes, Part I, Chapter 2 “Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid probe assays”, Elsevier, New York (1993); and Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Chapter 2, Ausubel, et al., Eds., Greene Publishing and Wiley-Interscience, New York (1995). See also Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (2nd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.).

In general, sequences that correspond to the nucleotide sequences of the present invention and hybridize to the nucleotide sequence disclosed herein will be at least 50% homologous, 70% homologous, and even 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% homologous or more with the disclosed sequence. That is, the sequence similarity between probe and target may range, sharing at least about 50%, about 70%, and even about 85% or more sequence similarity.

Specificity is typically the function of post-hybridization washes, the critical factors being the ionic strength and temperature of the final wash solution. Generally, stringent wash temperature conditions are selected to be about 5° C. to about 2° C. lower than the melting point (Tm) for the specific sequence at a defined ionic strength and pH. The melting point, or denaturation, of DNA occurs over a narrow temperature range and represents the disruption of the double helix into its complementary single strands. The process is described by the temperature of the midpoint of transition, Tm, which is also called the melting temperature. Formulas are available in the art for the determination of melting temperatures.

Preferred hybridization conditions for the nucleotide sequence of the invention include hybridization at 42° C. in 50% (w/v) formamide, 6×SSC, 0.5% (w/v) SDS, 100 (g/ml salmon sperm DNA. Exemplary low stringency washing conditions include hybridization at 42° C. in a solution of 2×SSC, 0.5% (w/v) SDS for 30 minutes and repeating. Exemplary moderate stringency conditions include a wash in 2×SSC, 0.5% (w/v) SDS at 50° C. for 30 minutes and repeating. Exemplary high stringency conditions include a wash in 0.1×SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS, at 65° C. for 30 minutes to one hour and repeating. Sequences that correspond to the promoter of the present invention may be obtained using all the above conditions. For purposes of defining the invention, the high stringency conditions are used.

The following terms are used to describe the sequence relationships between two or more nucleic acids or polynucleotides: (a) “reference sequence”, (b) “comparison window”, (c) “sequence identity”, and (d) “percentage of sequence identity.”

(a) As used herein, “reference sequence” is a defined sequence used as a basis for sequence comparison. A reference sequence may be a subset or the entirety of a specified sequence; for example, as a segment of a full-length cDNA or gene sequence, or the complete cDNA or gene sequence.

(b) As used herein, “comparison window” makes reference to a contiguous and specified segment of a polynucleotide sequence, wherein the polynucleotide sequence in the comparison window may comprise additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) compared to the reference sequence (which does not comprise additions or deletions) for optimal alignment of the two sequences. Generally, the comparison window is at least 20 contiguous nucleotides in length, and optionally can be 30, 40, 50, or 100 nucleotides in length, or longer. Those of skill in the art understand that to avoid a high similarity to a reference sequence due to inclusion of gaps in the polynucleotide sequence a gap penalty is typically introduced and is subtracted from the number of matches.

Methods of aligning sequences for comparison are well-known in the art. Thus, the determination of percent sequence identity between any two sequences can be accomplished using a mathematical algorithm. Non-limiting examples of such mathematical algorithms are the algorithm of Myers and Miller (1988) CABIOS 4: 11-17; the local alignment algorithm of Smith et al. (1981) Adv. Appl. Math. 2: 482; the global alignment algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch (1970) J. Mol. Biol. 48: 443-453; the search-for-local-alignment-method of Pearson and Lipman (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 85: 2444-2448; the algorithm of Karlin and Altschul (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87: 2264, modified as in Karlin and Altschul (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 5873-5877.

Computer implementations of these mathematical algorithms can be utilized for comparison of sequences to determine sequence identity. Such implementations include, but are not limited to: CLUSTAL in the PC/Gene program (available from Intelligenetics, Mountain View, Calif.); the ALIGN program (Version 2.0) and GAP, BESTFIT, BLAST, FASTA, and TFASTA in the GCG Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Version 10 (available from Accelrys Inc., 9685 Scranton Road, San Diego, Calif., USA). Alignments using these programs can be performed using the default parameters. The CLUSTAL program is well described by Higgins et al. (1988) Gene 73: 237-244 (1988); Higgins et al. (1989) CABIOS 5: 151-153; Corpet et al. (1988) Nucleic Acids Res. 16: 10881-90; Huang et al. (1992) CABIOS 8: 155-65; and Pearson et al. (1994) Meth. Mol. Biol. 24: 307-331. The ALIGN program is based on the algorithm of Myers and Miller (1988) supra. A PAM120 weight residue table, a gap length penalty of 12, and a gap penalty of 4 can be used with the ALIGN program when comparing amino acid sequences. The BLAST programs of Altschul et al (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215: 403 are based on the algorithm of Karlin and Altschul (1990) supra. BLAST nucleotide searches can be performed with the BLASTN program, score=100, wordlength=12, to obtain nucleotide sequences homologous to a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein of the invention. BLAST protein searches can be performed with the BLASTX program, score=50, wordlength=3, to obtain amino acid sequences homologous to a protein or polypeptide of the invention. To obtain gapped alignments for comparison purposes, Gapped BLAST (in BLAST 2.0) can be utilized as described in Altschul et al. (1997) Nucleic Acids Res. 25:

3389. Alternatively, PSI-BLAST (in BLAST 2.0) can be used to perform an iterated search

that detects distant relationships between molecules. See Altschul et al. (1997) supra. When utilizing BLAST, Gapped BLAST, PSI-BLAST, the default parameters of the respective programs (e.g., BLASTN for nucleotide sequences, BLASTX for proteins) can be used. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Alignment may also be performed manually by inspection.

Unless otherwise stated, sequence identity/similarity values provided herein refer to the value obtained using GAP Version 10 using the following parameters: % identity and % similarity for a nucleotide sequence using GAP Weight of 50 and Length Weight of 3 and the nwsgapdna.cmp scoring matrix; % identity and % similarity for an amino acid sequence using GAP Weight of 8 and Length Weight of 2; and the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix or any equivalent program thereof. By “equivalent program” is intended any sequence comparison program that, for any two sequences in question, generates an alignment having identical nucleotide or amino acid residue matches and an identical percent sequence identity when compared to the corresponding alignment generated by GAP Version 10.

GAP uses the algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch (1970) J. Mol. Biol. 48: 443-453, to find the alignment of two complete sequences that maximizes the number of matches and minimizes the number of gaps. GAP considers all possible alignments and gap positions and creates the alignment with the largest number of matched bases and the fewest gaps. It allows for the provision of a gap creation penalty and a gap extension penalty in units of matched bases. GAP must make a profit of gap creation penalty number of matches for each gap it inserts. If a gap extension penalty greater than zero is chosen, GAP must, in addition, make a profit for each gap inserted of the length of the gap times the gap extension penalty. Default gap creation penalty values and gap extension penalty values in Version 10 of the GCG Wisconsin Genetics Software Package for protein sequences are 8 and 2, respectively. For nucleotide sequences the default gap creation penalty is 50 while the default gap extension penalty is 3. The gap creation and gap extension penalties can be expressed as an integer selected from the group of integers consisting of from 0 to 200. Thus, for example, the gap creation and gap extension penalties can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 or greater.

GAP presents one member of the family of best alignments. There may be many members of this family, but no other member has a better quality. GAP displays four figures of merit for alignments: Quality, Ratio, Identity, and Similarity. The Quality is the metric maximized in order to align the sequences. Ratio is the quality divided by the number of bases in the shorter segment. Percent Identity is the percent of the symbols that actually match. Percent Similarity is the percent of the symbols that are similar. Symbols that are across from gaps are ignored. A similarity is scored when the scoring matrix value for a pair of symbols is greater than or equal to 0.50, the similarity threshold. The scoring matrix used in Version 10 of the GCG Wisconsin Genetics Software Package is BLOSUM62 (see Henikoff and Henikoff (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915).

(c) As used herein, “sequence identity” or “identity” in the context of two nucleic acid or polypeptide sequences makes reference to the residues in the two sequences that are the same when aligned for maximum correspondence over a specified comparison window. When percentage of sequence identity is used in reference to proteins it is recognized that residue positions which are not identical often differ by conservative amino acid substitutions, where amino acid residues are substituted for other amino acid residues with similar chemical properties (e.g., charge or hydrophobicity) and therefore do not change the functional properties of the molecule. When sequences differ in conservative substitutions, the percent sequence identity may be adjusted upwards to correct for the conservative nature of the substitution. Sequences that differ by such conservative substitutions are said to have “sequence similarity” or “similarity”. Means for making this adjustment are well known to those of skill in the art. Typically this involves scoring a conservative substitution as a partial rather than a full mismatch, thereby increasing the percentage sequence identity. Thus, for example, where an identical amino acid is given a score of 1 and a non-conservative substitution is given a score of zero, a conservative substitution is given a score between zero and 1. The scoring of conservative substitutions is calculated, e.g., as implemented in the program PC/GENE (Intelligenetics, Mountain View, Calif.).

(d) As used herein, “percentage of sequence identity” means the value determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences over a comparison window, wherein the portion of the polynucleotide sequence in the comparison window may comprise additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) as compared to the reference sequence (which does not comprise additions or deletions) for optimal alignment of the two sequences. The percentage is calculated by determining the number of positions at which the identical nucleic acid base or amino acid residue occurs in both sequences to yield the number of matched positions, dividing the number of matched positions by the total number of positions in the window of comparison, and multiplying the result by 100 to yield the percentage of sequence identity.

The use of the term “polynucleotide” is not intended to limit the present invention to polynucleotides comprising DNA. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that polynucleotides can comprise ribonucleotides and combinations of ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides. Such deoxyribonucleotides and ribonucleotides include both naturally occurring molecules and synthetic analogues. The polynucleotides of the invention also encompass all forms of sequences including, but not limited to, single-stranded forms, double-stranded forms, hairpins, stem-and-loop structures, and the like.

Identity to the sequence of the present invention would mean a polynucleotide sequence having at least 65% sequence identity, more preferably at least 70% sequence identity, more preferably at least 75% sequence identity, more preferably at least 80% identity, more preferably at least 85% 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% sequence identity.

The promoter of the Msca1 gene is also the subject of the present invention, as shown in the 1132 base pair sequence of FIG. 9 (SEQ ID NO: 15). The regulatory region of the gene comprises bases 1 to 1132 of FIG. 9, SEQ ID NO: 15 and other functional fragments of same. Promoter regions can be readily identified by one skilled in the art. The putative start codon containing the ATG motif is identified at base 1133 of SEQ ID NO: 1 (See FIG. 2) and upstream from the start codon is the presumptive promoter.

By “promoter” is intended a regulatory region of DNA usually comprising a TATA box capable of directing RNA polymerase II to initiate RNA synthesis at the appropriate transcription initiation site for a particular coding sequence. A promoter can additionally comprise other recognition sequences generally positioned upstream or 5′ to the TATA box, referred to as upstream promoter elements, which influence the transcription initiation rate. It is recognized that having identified the nucleotide sequences for the promoter region disclosed herein, it is within the state of the art to isolate and identify further regulatory elements in the region upstream of the TATA box from the particular promoter region identified herein. Thus the promoter region disclosed herein is generally further defined by comprising upstream regulatory elements such as those responsible for tissue and temporal expression of the coding sequence, enhancers and the like. In the same manner, the promoter elements which enable expression in the desired tissue such as male tissue can be identified, isolated, and used with other core promoters to confirm male tissue-preferred expression. By core promoter is meant the minimal sequence required to initiate transcription, such as the sequence called the TATA box which is common to promoters in genes encoding proteins. Thus the upstream promoter of Msca1 can optionally be used in conjunction with its own or core promoters from other sources. The promoter may be native or non-native to the cell in which it is found.

By way of example, a putative TATA box can be identified by primer extension analysis as described in by Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Ausubel, F. M. et al. eds; John Wiley and Sons, New York pp. 4.8.1-4.8.5 (1987). Regulatory regions of anther genes, such as promoters, may be identified in genomic subclones using functional analysis, usually verified by the observation of reporter gene expression in anther tissue and a lower level or absence of reporter gene expression in non-anther tissue. The possibility of the regulatory regions residing “upstream” or 5′ ward of the translational start site can be tested by subcloning a DNA fragment that contains the upstream region into expression vectors for transient expression experiments. It is expected that smaller subgenomic fragments may contain the regions essential for male-tissue preferred expression. For example, the essential regions of the CaMV 19S and 35S promoters have been identified in relatively small fragments derived from larger genomic pieces as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,605.

The selection of an appropriate expression vector with which to test for functional expression will depend upon the host and the method of introducing the expression vector into the host and such methods are well known to one skilled in the art. For eukaryotes, the regions in the vector include regions that control initiation of transcription and control processing. These regions are operably linked to a reporter gene such as CYP, UidA, encoding glucuronidase (GUS), or luciferase as described herein. Expression vectors containing putative regulatory regions located in genomic fragments can be introduced into intact tissues such as staged anthers, embryos or into callus. Methods of DNA delivery are described below. For the transient assay system, various analysis may be employed. In one example, staged, isolated anthers are immediately placed onto tassel culture medium (Pareddy, D. R. and J. F. Petelino, Crop Sci. J.; Vol. 29; pp. 1564-1566; (1989)) solidified with 0.5% Phytagel (Sigma, St. Louis) or other solidifying media. The expression vector DNA is introduced within 5 hours preferably by microprojectile-mediated delivery with 1.2 μm particles at 1000-1100 Psi. After DNA delivery, the anthers are incubated at 26° C. upon the same tassel culture medium for 17 hours and analyzed by preparing a whole tissue homogenate and assaying for GUS or for lucifierase activity (see Gruber, et al., supra).

The isolated promoter sequence of the present invention can be modified to provide for a range of expression levels of the heterologous nucleotide sequence. Less than the entire promoter region can be utilized and the ability to drive anther-preferred expression retained. However, it is recognized that expression levels of mRNA can be decreased with deletions of portions of the promoter sequence. Thus, the promoter can be modified to be a weak or strong promoter. Generally, by “weak promoter” is intended a promoter that drives expression of a coding sequence at a low level. By “low level” is intended levels of about 1/10,000 transcripts to about 1/100,000 transcripts to about 1/500,000 transcripts. Conversely, a strong promoter drives expression of a coding sequence at a high level, or at about 1/10 transcripts to about 1/100 transcripts to about 1/1,000 transcripts. Generally, at least about 30 nucleotides of an isolated promoter sequence will be used to drive expression of a nucleotide sequence. It is recognized that to increase transcription levels, enhancers can be utilized in combination with the promoter regions of the invention. Enhancers are nucleotide sequences that act to increase the expression of a promoter region. Enhancers are known in the art and include the SV40 enhancer region, the 35S enhancer element, and the like.

The promoter of the present invention can be isolated from the 5′ region of its native coding region or 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) Likewise the terminator can be isolated from the 3′ region flanking its respective stop codon. The term “isolated” refers to material such as a nucleic acid or protein which is substantially or essentially free from components which normally accompany or interact with the material as found in it naturally occurring environment, or if the material is in its natural environment, the material has been altered by deliberate human intervention to a composition and/or placed at a locus in a cell other than the locus native to the material. Methods for isolation of promoter regions are well known in the art.

“Functional variants” of the regulatory sequences are also encompassed by the compositions of the present invention. Functional variants include, for example, the native regulatory sequences of the invention having one or more nucleotide substitutions, deletions or insertions. Functional variants of the invention may be created by site-directed mutagenesis, induced mutation, or may occur as allelic variants (polymorphisms).

As used herein, a “functional fragment” of the regulatory sequence is a nucleotide sequence that is a regulatory sequence variant formed by one or more deletions from a larger sequence. For example, the 5′ portion of a promoter up to the TATA box near the transcription start site can be deleted without abolishing promoter activity, as described by Opsahl-Sorteberg, H-G. et al., “Identification of a 49-bp fragment of the HvLTP2 promoter directing aleruone cell specific expression” Gene 341:49-58 (2004). Such variants should retain promoter activity, particularly the ability to drive expression in male tissues. Activity can be measured by Northern blot analysis, reporter activity measurements when using transcriptional fusions, and the like. See, for example, Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (2nd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), herein incorporated by reference.

Functional fragments can be obtained by use of restriction enzymes to cleave the naturally occurring regulatory element nucleotide sequences disclosed herein; by synthesizing a nucleotide sequence from the naturally occurring DNA sequence; or can be obtained through the use of PCR technology See particularly, Mullis et al. (1987) Methods Enzymol. 155:335-350, and Erlich, ed. (1989) PCR Technology (Stockton Press, New York).

Sequences which hybridize to the regulatory sequences of the present invention are within the scope of the invention. Sequences that correspond to the promoter sequences of the present invention and hybridize to the promoter sequences disclosed herein will be at least 50% homologous, 70% homologous, and even 85% 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% homologous or more with the disclosed sequence.

Smaller fragments may yet contain the regulatory properties of the promoter so identified and deletion analysis is one method of identifying essential regions. Deletion analysis can occur from both the 5′ and 3′ ends of the regulatory region. Fragments can be obtained by site-directed mutagenesis, mutagenesis using the polymerase chain reaction and the like. (See, Directed Mutagenesis: A Practical Approach IRL Press (1991)). The 3′ deletions can delineate the essential region and identify the 3′ end so that this region may then be operably linked to a core promoter of choice. Once the essential region is identified, transcription of an exogenous gene may be controlled by the essential region plus a core promoter. By core promoter is meant the sequence called the TATA box which is common to promoters in all genes encoding proteins. Thus the upstream promoter of Msca1 can optionally be used in conjunction with its own or core promoters from other sources. The promoter may be native or non-native to the cell in which it is found.

The core promoter can be any one of known core promoters such as the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S or 19S promoter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,605), ubiquitin promoter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,474) the 1N2 core promoter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,780) or a Figwort Mosaic Virus promoter (Gruber, et al. “Vectors for Plant Transformation” Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) et al. eds, CRC Press pp. 89-119 (1993)).

Promoter sequences from other plants may be isolated according to well-known techniques based on their sequence homology to the promoter sequence set forth herein. In these techniques, all or part of the known promoter sequence is used as a probe which selectively hybridizes to other sequences present in a population of cloned genomic DNA fragments (i.e. genomic libraries) from a chosen organism. Methods are readily available in the art for the hybridization of nucleic acid sequences.

The entire promoter sequence or portions thereof can be used as a probe capable of specifically hybridizing to corresponding promoter sequences. To achieve specific hybridization under a variety of conditions, such probes include sequences that are unique and are preferably at least about 10 nucleotides in length, and most preferably at least about 20 nucleotides in length. Such probes can be used to amplify corresponding promoter sequences from a chosen organism by the well-known process of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This technique can be used to isolate additional promoter sequences from a desired organism or as a diagnostic assay to determine the presence of the promoter sequence in an organism. Examples include hybridization screening of plated DNA libraries (either plaques or colonies; see e.g. Innis et al., eds., (1990) PCR Protocols, A Guide to Methods and Applications, Academic Press).

Further, a promoter of the present invention can be linked with nucleotide sequences other than the Msca1 gene to express other heterologous nucleotide sequences. The nucleotide sequence for the promoter of the invention, as well as fragments and variants thereof, can be provided in expression cassettes along with heterologous nucleotide sequences for expression in the plant of interest, more particularly in the male tissue of the plant. Such an expression cassette is provided with a plurality of restriction sites for insertion of the nucleotide sequence to be under the transcriptional regulation of the promoter. These expression cassettes are useful in the genetic manipulation of any plant to achieve a desired phenotypic response.

Examples of other nucleotide sequences which can be used as the exogenous gene of the expression vector with the Msca1 promoter, or other promoters taught herein or known to those of skill in the art include complementary nucleotidic units such as antisense molecules (callase antisense RNA, barnase antisense RNA and chalcone synthase antisense RNA, Ms45 antisense RNA), ribozymes and external guide sequences, an aptamer or single stranded nucleotides. The exogenous nucleotide sequence can also encode carbohydrate degrading or modifying enzymes, amylases, debranching enzymes and pectinases, such as the alpha amylase gene, auxins, rol B, cytotoxins, diptheria toxin, DAM methylase, avidin, or may be selected from a prokaryotic regulatory system. By way of example, Mariani, et al., Nature Vol. 347; pp. 737; (1990), have shown that expression in the tapetum of either Aspergillus oryzae RNase-T1 or an RNase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, designated “barnase,” induced destruction of the tapetal cells, resulting in male infertility. Quaas, et al., Eur. J. Biochem. Vol. 173: pp. 617 (1988), describe the chemical synthesis of the RNase-T1, while the nucleotide sequence of the barnase gene is disclosed in Hartley, J. Molec. Biol.; Vol. 202: pp. 913 (1988). The rolB gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes codes for an enzyme that interferes with auxin metabolism by catalyzing the release of free indoles from indoxyl-β-glucosides. Estruch, et al., EMBO J. Vol. 11: pp. 3125 (1991) and Spena, et al., Theor. Appl. Genet.; Vol. 84: pp. 520 (1992), have shown that the anther-specific expression of the rolB gene in tobacco resulted in plants having shriveled anthers in which pollen production was severely decreased and the rolB gene is an example of a gene that is useful for the control of pollen production. Slightom, et al., J. Biol. Chem. Vol. 261: pp. 108 (1985), disclose the nucleotide sequence of the rolB gene. DNA molecules encoding the diphtheria toxin gene can be obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, Md.), ATCC No. 39359 or ATCC No. 67011 and see Fabijanski, et al., E.P. Appl. No. 90902754.2, “Molecular Methods of Hybrid Seed Production” for examples and methods of use. The DAM methylase gene is used to cause sterility in the methods discussed at U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,049 and PCT/US95/15229 Cigan, A. M. and Albertsen, M. C., “Reversible Nuclear Genetic System for Male Sterility in Transgenic Plants.” Also see discussion of use of the avidin gene to cause sterility at U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,769 “Induction of Male Sterility in Plants by Expression of High Levels of Avidin” by Albertsen et al.

The invention includes vectors with the Msca1 gene and/or its promoter. A vector is prepared comprising Msca1, a promoter that will drive expression of the gene in the plant and a terminator region. As noted, the promoter in the construct may be the native promoter or a substituted promoter which will provide expression in the plant. The promoter in the construct may be an inducible promoter, so that expression of the sense or antisense molecule in the construct can be controlled by exposure to the inducer. In this regard, a plant-compatible promoter element can be employed in the construct, influenced by the end result desired. When linking the Msca1 nucleotide sequence with another promoter, it will be preferable that the promoter drive expression of the sequence sufficiently early in plant development that the Msca1 sequence or fragment or variant is expressed after primordial initiation but before division of archesporial cells. Examples of the variety of promoters that could be used include the constitutive viral promoters such as the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 19S and 35S promoters or the figwort mosaic virus 35S promoter. See Kay et al., (1987) Science 236:1299 and European patent application No. 0 342 926; and the ubiquitin promoter (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,474) or any other ubiquitin-like promoter, which encodes a ubiquitin protein, but may have varying particular sequences (for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,614,399 and 6,054,574).

It will be evident to one skilled in the art that the construct can also contain one of the variety of other promoters available, depending upon the particular application. For example, the promoter may be linked with a selectable marker, or a gene of interest for expression in the plant cell. In this regard, any plant-compatible promoter can be employed. Those can be the 35S and ubiquitin-like promoters as referred to above, or any other plant gene promoters, such as, for example, the promoter for the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase, or promoters from the tumor-inducing plasmids from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, such as the nopaline synthase and octopine synthase promoters; the barley lipid transfer protein promoter, LTP2 (Kalla et al., Plant J. (1994) 6(6): 849-60); the END2 promoter (Linnestad et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,205); and the polygalacturonase PG47 promoter (See Allen and Lonsdale, Plant J. (1993) 3:261-271; WO 94/01572; U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,085 See international application WO 91/19806 for a review of illustrative plant promoters suitably employed in the present invention.

The range of available plant compatible promoters includes tissue specific and inducible promoters. An inducible regulatory element is one that is capable of directly or indirectly activating transcription of one or more DNA sequences or genes in response to an inducer. In the absence of an inducer the DNA sequences or genes will not be transcribed. Typically the protein factor that binds specifically to an inducible regulatory element to activate transcription is present in an inactive form which is then directly or indirectly converted to the active form by the inducer. The inducer can be a chemical agent such as a protein, metabolite, growth regulator, herbicide or phenolic compound or a physiological stress imposed directly by heat, cold, salt, or toxic elements or indirectly through the action of a pathogen or disease agent such as a virus. A plant cell containing an inducible regulatory element may be exposed to an inducer by externally applying the inducer to the cell or plant such as by spraying, watering, heating or similar methods. Any inducible promoter can be used in the instant invention. See Ward et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 22: 361-366 (1993). Exemplary inducible promoters include ecdysone receptor promoters, U.S. Pat. No. 6,504,082; promoters from the ACE1 system which responds to copper (Mett et al. PNAS 90: 4567-4571 (1993)); In2-1 and In2-2 gene from maize which respond to benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners (U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,780; Hershey et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 227: 229-237 (1991) and Gatz et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 243: 32-38 (1994)); the maize GST promoter, which is activated by hydrophobic electrophilic compounds that are used as pre-emergent herbicides; and the tobacco PR-1a promoter, which is activated by salicylic acid. Other chemical-regulated promoters of interest include steroid-responsive promoters (see, for example, the glucocorticoid-inducible promoter in Schena et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:10421-10425 and McNellis et al. (1998) Plant J. 14(2):247-257) and tetracycline-inducible and tetracycline-repressible promoters (see, for example, Gatz et al. (1991) Mol. Gen. Genet. 227:229-237, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,618 and 5,789,156).

Tissue-preferred promoters can be utilized to target enhanced transcription and/or expression within a particular plant tissue. Promoters may express in the tissue of interest, along with expression in other plant tissue, may express strongly in the tissue of interest and to a much lesser degree than other tissue, or may express highly preferably in the tissue of interest. Tissue-preferred promoters include those described in Yamamoto et al. (1997) Plant J. 12(2): 255-265; Kawamata et al. (1997) Plant Cell Physiol. 38(7): 792-803; Hansen et al. (1997) Mol. Gen. Genet. 254(3):337-343; Russell et al. (1997) Transgenic Res. 6(2): 157-168; Rinehart et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(3): 1331-1341; Van Camp et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(2): 525-535; Canevascini et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(2): 513-524; Yamamoto et al. (1994) Plant Cell Physiol. 35(5): 773-778; Lam (1994) Results Probl. Cell Differ. 20: 181-196; Orozco et al. (1993) Plant Mol. Biol. 23(6): 1129-1138; Matsuoka et al. (1993) Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90(20): 9586-9590; and Guevara-Garcia et al. (1993) Plant J. 4(3): 495-505. In one embodiment, the promoters are those which preferentially express to the male or female tissue of the plant. The invention does not require that any particular male tissue-preferred promoter be used in the process, and any of the many such promoters known to one skilled in the art may be employed. The native Msca1 promoter described herein is one example of a useful promoter. Another such promoter is the 5126 promoter, which preferentially directs expression of the gene to which it is linked to male tissue of the plants, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,837,851 and 5,689,051. Other examples include the Ms45 promoter described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,523; Ms26 promoter described at US Publication No. 20060015968; SF3 promoter described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,069; the BS92-7 promoter described at WO 02/063021; a SGB6 regulatory element described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,359; the TA29 promoter (Koltunow et al. (1990) “Different temporal and spatial gene expression patterns occur during anther development.” Plant Cell 2:1201-1224; Goldberg, R. B., Beals, T. P. and Sanders, P. M., (1993) “Anther development: basic principles and practical applications” Plant Cell 5:1217-1229; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,856); the type 2 metallothionein-like gene promoter (Charbonnel-Campaa et al., Gene (2000) 254:199-208); and the Brassica Bca9 promoter (Lee et al., Plant Cell Rep. (2003) 22:268-273).

Certain constructs may also include a gamete tissue preferred promoter, depending upon the various components and the applications in which it is employed. Male gamete preferred promoters include the PG47 promoter, supra as well as ZM13 promoter (Hamilton et al., Plant Mol. Biol. (1998) 38:663-669); actin depolymerizing factor promoters (such as Zmabp1, Zmabp2; see for example Lopez et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1996) 93: 7415-7420); the promoter of the maize petctin methylesterase-liked gene, ZmC5 (Wakeley et al. Plant Mol. Biol. (1998) 37:187-192); the profilin gene promoter Zmpro1 (Kovar et al., The Plant Cell (2000) 12:583-598); the sulphated pentapeptide phytosulphokine gene ZmPSK1 (Lorbiecke et al., Journal of Experimental Botany (2005) 56(417): 1805-1819); the promoter of the calmodulin binding protein Mpcbp (Reddy et al. J. Biol. Chem. (2000) 275(45):35457-70).

Other components of the vector may be included, also depending upon intended use of the gene. Examples include selectable markers, targeting or regulatory sequences, stabilizing or leader sequences, introns etc. General descriptions and examples of plant expression vectors and reporter genes can be found in Gruber, et al., “Vectors for Plant Transformation” in Method in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick et al eds; CRC Press pp. 89-119 (1993). The selection of an appropriate expression vector will depend upon the host and the method of introducing the expression vector into the host. The expression cassette will also include at the 3′ terminus of the heterologous nucleotide sequence of interest, a transcriptional and translational termination region functional in plants. The termination region can be native with the promoter nucleotide sequence of the present invention, can be native with the DNA sequence of interest, or can be derived from another source. Convenient termination regions are available from the Ti-plasmid of A. tumefaciens, such as the octopine synthase and nopaline synthase termination regions. See also, Guerineau et al. Mol. Gen. Genet. 262:141-144 (1991); Proudfoot, Cell 64:671-674 (1991); Sanfacon et al. Genes Dev. 5:141-149 (1991); Mogen et al. Plant Cell 2:1261-1272 (1990); Munroe et al. Gene 91:151-158 (1990); Ballas et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 17:7891-7903 (1989); Joshi et al. Nucleic Acid Res. 15:9627-9639 (1987).

The expression cassettes can additionally contain 5′ leader sequences. Such leader sequences can act to enhance translation. Translation leaders are known in the art and include by way of example, picornavirus leaders, EMCV leader (Encephalomyocarditis 5′ noncoding region), Elroy-Stein et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 86:6126-6130 (1989); potyvirus leaders, for example, TEV leader (Tobacco Etch Virus), Allison et al.; MDMV leader (Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus), Virology 154:9-20 (1986); human immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP), Macejak et al. Nature 353:90-94 (1991); untranslated leader from the coat protein mRNA of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV RNA 4), Jobling et al. Nature 325:622-625 (1987); Tobacco mosaic virus leader (TMV), Gallie et al. (1989) Molecular Biology of RNA, pages 237-256; and maize chlorotic mottle virus leader (MCMV) Lommel et al. Virology 81:382-385 (1991). See also Della-Cioppa et al. Plant Physiology 84:965-968 (1987). The cassette can also contain sequences that enhance translation and/or mRNA stability such as introns.

In those instances where it is desirable to have the expressed product of the heterologous nucleotide sequence directed to a particular organelle, particularly the plastid, amyloplast, or to the endoplasmic reticulum, or secreted at the cell's surface or extracellularly, the expression cassette can further comprise a coding sequence for a transit peptide. Such transit peptides are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to, the transit peptide for the acyl carrier protein, the small subunit of RUBISCO, plant EPSP synthase, Zea mays Brittle-1 chloroplast transit peptide (Nelson et al. Plant physiol 117(4):1235-1252 (1998); Sullivan et al. Plant Cell 3(12):1337-48; Sullivan et al., Planta (1995) 196(3):477-84; Sullivan et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1992) 267(26):18999-9004) and the like. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate the many options available in expressing a product to a particular organelle. For example, the barley alpha amylase sequence is often used to direct expression to the endoplasmic reticulum (Rogers, J. Biol. Chem. 260:3731-3738 (1985)). Use of transit peptides is well known (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,717,084; 5,728,925).

In preparing the expression cassette, the various DNA fragments can be manipulated, so as to provide for the DNA sequences in the proper orientation and, as appropriate, in the proper reading frame. Toward this end, adapters or linkers can be employed to join the DNA fragments or other manipulations can be involved to provide for convenient restriction sites, removal of superfluous DNA, removal of restriction sites, or the like. For this purpose, in vitro mutagenesis, primer repair, restriction digests, annealing, and resubstitutions, such as transitions and transversions, can be involved.

As noted herein, the present invention provides vectors capable of expressing genes of interest. In general, the vectors should be functional in plant cells. At times, it may be preferable to have vectors that are functional in E. coli (e.g., production of protein for raising antibodies, DNA sequence analysis, construction of inserts, obtaining quantities of nucleic acids). Vectors and procedures for cloning and expression in E. coli are discussed in Sambrook et al. (supra).

The transformation vector comprising the promoter sequence of the present invention, or another promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleotide sequence in an expression cassette and/or the nucleotide sequence of the present invention, can also contain at least one additional nucleotide sequence for a gene to be cotransformed into the organism. Alternatively, the additional sequence(s) can be provided on another transformation vector.

Reporter genes can be included in the transformation vectors. Examples of suitable reporter genes known in the art can be found in, for example, Jefferson et al. (1991) in Plant Molecular Biology Manual, ed. Gelvin et al. (Kluwer Academic Publishers), pp. 1-33; DeWet et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:725-737 (1987); Goff et al. EMBO J. 9:2517-2522 (1990); Kain et al. BioTechniques 19:650-655 (1995); and Chiu et al. Current Biology 6:325-330 (1996).

Selectable reporter genes for selection of transformed cells or tissues can be included in the transformation vectors. These can include genes that confer antibiotic resistance or resistance to herbicides. Examples of suitable selectable marker genes include, but are not limited to, genes encoding resistance to chloramphenicol, Herrera Estrella et al. EMBO J. 2:987-992 (1983); methotrexate, Herrera Estrella et al. Nature 303:209-213 (1983); Meijer et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 16:807-820 (1991); hygromycin, Waldron et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 5:103-108 (1985), Zhijian et al. Plant Science 108:219-227 (1995); streptomycin, Jones et al. Mol. Gen. Genet. 210:86-91 (1987); spectinomycin, Bretagne-Sagnard et al. Transgenic Res. 5:131-137 (1996); bleomycin, Hille et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 7:171-176 (1990); sulfonamide, Guerineau et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 15:127-136 (1990); bromoxynil, Stalker et al. Science 242:419-423 (1988); glyphosate, Shaw et al. Science 233:478-481 (1986); and phosphinothricin, DeBlock et al. EMBO J. 6:2513-2518 (1987).

Scorable or screenable markers may also be employed, where presence of the sequence produces a measurable product. Examples include a β-glucuronidase, or uidA gene (GUS), which encodes an enzyme for which various chromogenic substrates are known (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,268,463 and 5,599,670); chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (Jefferson et al. The EMBO Journal vol. 6 No. 13 pp. 3901-3907); and alkaline phosphatase. Other screenable markers include the anthocyanin/flavonoid genes in general (See discussion at Taylor and Briggs, The Plant Cell (1990)2:115-127) including, for example, a R-locus gene, which encodes a product that regulates the production of anthocyanin pigments (red color) in plant tissues (Dellaporta et al., in Chromosome Structure and Function, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Appels and Gustafson eds., pp. 263-282 (1988)); the genes which control biosynthesis of flavonoid pigments, such as the maize C1 gene (Kao et al., Plant Cell (1996) 8: 1171-1179; Scheffler et al. Mol. Gen. Genet. (1994) 242:40-48) and maize C2 (Wienand et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. (1986) 203:202-207); the B gene (Chandler et al., Plant Cell (1989) 1:1175-1183), the p1 gene (Grotewold et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1991) 88:4587-4591; Grotewold et al., Cell (1994) 76:543-553; Sidorenko et al., Plant Mol. Biol. (1999)39:11-19); the bronze locus genes (Ralston et al., Genetics (1988) 119:185-197; Nash et al., Plant Cell (1990) 2(11): 1039-1049), among others. Yet further examples of suitable markers include the cyan fluorescent protein (CYP) gene (Bolte et al. (2004) J. Cell Science 117: 943-54 and Kato et al. (2002) Plant Physiol 129: 913-42), the yellow fluorescent protein gene (PhiYFP™ from Evrogen; see Bolte et al. (2004) J. Cell Science 117: 943-54); a lux gene, which encodes a luciferase, the presence of which may be detected using, for example, X-ray film, scintillation counting, fluorescent spectrophotometry, low-light video cameras, photon counting cameras or multiwell luminometry (Teeri et al. (1989) EMBO J. 8:343); a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene (Sheen et al., Plant J. (1995) 8(5):777-84); and DsRed2 where plant cells transformed with the marker gene are red in color, and thus visually selectable (Dietrich et al. (2002) Biotechniques 2(2):286-293). Additional examples include a p-lactamase gene (Sutcliffe, Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (1978) 75:3737), which encodes an enzyme for which various chromogenic substrates are known (e.g., PADAC, a chromogenic cephalosporin); a xy1E gene (Zukowsky et al., Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (1983) 80:1101), which encodes a catechol dioxygenase that can convert chromogenic catechols; an α-amylase gene (Ikuta et al., Biotech. (1990) 8:241); and a tyrosinase gene (Katz et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. (1983) 129:2703), which encodes an enzyme capable of oxidizing tyrosine to DOPA and dopaquinone, which in turn condenses to form the easily detectable compound melanin. Clearly, many such markers are available to one skilled in the art.

The method of transformation/transfection is not critical to the instant invention; various methods of transformation or transfection are currently available. As newer methods are available to transform crops or other host cells they may be directly applied. Accordingly, a wide variety of methods have been developed to insert a DNA sequence into the genome of a host cell to obtain the transcription or transcript and translation of the sequence to effect phenotypic changes in the organism. Thus, any method which provides for efficient transformation/transfection may be employed.

Methods for introducing expression vectors into plant tissue available to one skilled in the art are varied and will depend on the plant selected. Procedures for transforming a wide variety of plant species are well known and described throughout the literature. See, for example, Miki et al, “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biotechnology, supra; Klein et al, Bio/Technology 10:268 (1992); and Weising et al., Ann. Rev. Genet. 22: 421-477 (1988). For example, the DNA construct may be introduced into the genomic DNA of the plant cell using techniques such as microprojectile-mediated delivery, Klein et al., Nature 327: 70-73 (1987); electroporation, Fromm et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 82: 5824 (1985); polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, Paszkowski et al., EMBO J. 3: 2717-2722 (1984); direct gene transfer WO 85/01856 and EP No. 0 275 069; in vitro protoplast transformation, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,611; and microinjection of plant cell protoplasts or embryogenic callus, Crossway, Mol. Gen. Genetics 202:179-185 (1985). Co-cultivation of plant tissue with Agrobacterium tumefaciens is another option, where the DNA constructs are placed into a binary vector system. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,616; Ishida et al., “High Efficiency Transformation of Maize (Zea mays L.) mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens” Nature Biotechnology 14:745-750 (1996). The virulence functions of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens host will direct the insertion of the construct into the plant cell DNA when the cell is infected by the bacteria. See, for example Horsch et al., Science 233: 496-498 (1984), and Fraley et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 80: 4803 (1983).

Standard methods for transformation of canola are described at Moloney et al. “High Efficiency Transformation of Brassica napus using Agrobacterium Vectors” Plant Cell Reports 8:238-242 (1989). Corn transformation is described by Fromm et al, Bio/Technology 8:833 (1990) and Gordon-Kamm et al, supra. Agrobacterium is primarily used in dicots, but certain monocots such as maize can be transformed by Agrobacterium. See supra and U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,318. Rice transformation is described by Hiei et al., “Efficient Transformation of Rice (Oryza sativs L.) Mediated by Agrobacterium and Sequence Analysis of the Boundaries of the T-DNA” The Plant Journal 6(2): 271-282 (1994, Christou et al, Trends in Biotechnology 10:239 (1992) and Lee et al, Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA 88:6389 (1991). Wheat can be transformed by techniques similar to those used for transforming corn or rice. Sorghum transformation is described at Casas et al, supra and sorghum by Wan et al, Plant Physicol. 104:37 (1994). Soybean transformation is described in a number of publications, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,580.

When referring to “introduction” of the nucleotide sequence into a plant, it is meant that this can occur by direct transformation methods, such as Agrobacterium transformation of plant tissue, microprojectile bombardment, electroporation, or any one of many methods known to one skilled in the art; or, it can occur by crossing a plant having the heterologous nucleotide sequence with another plant so that progeny have the nucleotide sequence incorporated into their genomes. Such breeding techniques are well known to one skilled in the art.

The plant breeding methods used herein are well known to one skilled in the art. For a discussion of plant breeding techniques, see Poehlman (1987) Breeding Field Crops. AVI Publication Co., Westport Conn. Many of the plants which would be most preferred in this method are bred through techniques that take advantage of the plant's method of pollination.

Backcrossing methods may be used to introduce a gene into the plants. This technique has been used for decades to introduce traits into a plant. An example of a description of this and other plant breeding methodologies that are well known can be found in references such as Plant Breeding Methodology, edit. Neal Jensen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1988). In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent) that carries the single gene of interest to be transferred. The resulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to the recurrent parent and the process is repeated until a plant is obtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the converted plant, in addition to the single transferred gene from the nonrecurrent parent.

In certain embodiments of the invention, it is desirable to maintain the male sterile homozygous recessive condition of a male sterile plant, when using a transgenic restoration approach, while decreasing the number of plants, plantings and steps needed for maintenance of a plant with such traits. Homozygosity is a genetic condition existing when identical alleles reside at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes. Heterozygosity is a genetic condition existing when different alleles reside at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes. Hemizygosity is a genetic condition existing when there is only one copy of a gene (or set of genes) with no allelic counterpart on the sister chromosome. In an embodiment, the homozygous recessive condition results in conferring on the plant a trait of interest, which can be any trait desired and which results from the recessive genotype, such as increased drought or cold tolerance, early maturity, changed oil or protein content, or any of a multitude of the many traits of interest to plant breeders. In one embodiment, the homozygous recessive condition confers male sterility upon the plant. When the sequence which is the functional complement of the homozygous condition is introduced into the plant (that is, a sequence which, when introduced into and expressed in the plant having the homozygous recessive condition, restores the wild-type condition), fertility is restored by virtue of restoration of the wild-type fertile phenotype.

Maintenance of the homozygous recessive condition is achieved by introducing into a plant restoration transgene construct into a plant that is linked to a sequence which interferes with the function or formation of male gametes of the plant to create a maintainer or donor plant. The restoring transgene, upon introduction into a plant that is homozygous recessive for the genetic trait, restores the genetic function of that trait, with the plant producing only viable pollen containing a copy of the recessive allele but not containing the restoration transgene. The transgene is kept in the hemizygous state in the maintainer plant. By transgene, it is meant any nucleic acid sequence which is introduced into the genome of a cell by genetic engineering techniques. A transgene may be a native DNA sequence, or a heterologous DNA sequence (i.e., “foreign DNA”). The term native DNA sequence refers to a nucleotide sequence which is naturally found in the cell but that may have been modified from its original form. The pollen from the maintainer can be used to fertilize plants that are homozygous for the recessive trait, and the progeny will therefore retain their homozygous recessive condition. The maintainer plant containing the restoring transgene construct is propagated by self-fertilization, with the resulting seed used to produce further plants that are homozygous recessive plants and contain the restoring transgene construct.

The maintainer plant serves as a pollen donor to the plant having the homozygous recessive trait. The maintainer is optimally produced from a plant having the homozygous recessive trait and which also has nucleotide sequences introduced therein which would restore the trait created by the homozygous recessive alleles. Further, the restoration sequence is linked to nucleotide sequences which interfere with the function or formation of male gametes. The gene can operate to prevent formation of male gametes or prevent function of the male gametes by any of a variety of well-know modalities and is not limited to a particular methodology. By way of example but not limitation, this can include use of genes which express a product cytotoxic to male gametes (See for example, 5,792,853; 5,689,049; PCT/EP89/00495); inhibit product formation of another gene important to male gamete function or formation (See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,859,341; 6,297,426); combine with another gene product to produce a substance preventing gene formation or function (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,162,964; 6,013,859; 6,281,348; 6,399,856; 6,248,935; 6,750,868; 5,792,853); are antisense to or cause co-suppression of a gene critical to male gamete function or formation (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,184,439; 5,728,926; 6,191,343; 5,728,558; 5,741,684); interfere with expression through use of hairpin formations (Smith et al. (2000) Nature 407:319-320; WO 99/53050 and WO 98/53083) or the like. Many nucleotide sequences are known which inhibit pollen formation or function and any sequences which accomplish this function will suffice. A discussion of genes which can impact proper development or function is included at U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,856 and includes genes with inhibitory effects such as cytotoxin genes, methylase genes, and growth-inhibiting genes. Example of such genes include, but are not limited to diphtheria toxin A-chain gene (Czako, M. and An, G. (1991) “Expression of DNA coding for Diptheria toxin Chain A is toxic to plant cells” Plant Physiol. 95 687-692. and Greenfield et al PNAS 80:6853 (1983), Palmiter et al Cell 50:435 (1987)); cell cycle division mutants such as CDC in maize (Colasanti, J., Tyers, M. and Sundaresan, V., “Isolation and Characterization of cDNA clones encoding a functional P34 cdc2 homologue from Zea mays” PNAS 88, 3377-3381 (1991)); the WT gene (Farmer, A. A., Loftus, T. M., Mills, A. A., Sato, K. V., Neill, J., Yang, M., Tron, T., Trumpower, B. L. and Stanbridge, E. G. Hum. Mol. Genet. 3, 723-728 (1994)); and P68 (Chen, J. J., Pal, J. K., Petryshyn, R., Kuo, I., Yang, J. M., Throop, M. S., Gehrke, L. and London, I. M. “Eukaryotic translation initiation kinases” PNAS 88, 315-319 (1991)).

Further examples of so-called “cytotoxic” genes are discussed supra and can include, but are not limited to pectate lyase gene pelE, from Erwinia chrysanthermi (Kenn et al J. Bacteroil 168:595 (1986)); T-urf13 gene from cms-T maize mitochondrial genomes (Braun et al Plant Cell 2:153 (1990); Dewey et al. PNAS 84:5374 (1987)); CytA toxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis Israeliensis that causes cell membrane disruption (McLean et al J. Bacteriol 169:1017 (1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,006); DNAses, RNAses, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,441); proteases, or a genes expressing anti-sense RNA. A suitable gene may also encode a protein involved in inhibiting pistil development, pollen stigma interactions, pollen tube growth or fertilization, or a combination thereof. In addition genes that either interfere with the normal accumulation of starch in pollen or affect osmotic balance within pollen may also be suitable.

In an illustrative embodiment, the DAM-methylase gene is used, discussed supra and at U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,792,852 and 5,689,049, the expression product of which catalyzes methylation of adenine residues in the DNA of the plant. Methylated adenines will affect cell viability and will be found only in the tissues in which the DAM-methylase gene is expressed. In another embodiment, an α-amylase gene can be used with a male tissue-preferred promoter. During the initial germinating period of cereal seeds, the aleurone layer cells will synthesize α-amylase, which participates in hydrolyzing starch to form glucose and maltose, so as to provide the nutrients needed for the growth of the germ (J. C. Rogers and C. Milliman, J. Biol. Chem., 259 (19): 12234-12240, 1984; Rogers, J. C., J. Biol. Chem., 260: 3731-3738, 1985). In an embodiment, the α-amylase gene used can be the Zea mays α-amylase-1 gene. Young et al. “Cloning of an α-amylase cDNA from aleurone tissue of germinating maize seed” Plant Physiol. 105(2) 759-760 and GenBank accession No. L25805, GI:426481). Sequences encoding α-amylase are not typically found in pollen cells, and when expression is directed to male tissue, the result is a breakdown of the energy source for the pollen grains, and repression of pollen development.

One skilled in this area readily appreciates the methods described herein are applicable to any other crops which have the potential to outcross. By way of example, but not limitation it can include maize, soybean, sorghum, or any plant with the capacity to outcross.

Ordinarily, to produce more plants having the recessive condition, one might cross the recessive plant with another recessive plant. This may not be desirable for some recessive traits and may be impossible for recessive traits affecting reproductive development. Alternatively, one could cross the homozygous plant with a second plant having the restoration gene, but this requires further crossing to segregate away the restoring gene to once again reach the recessive phenotypic state. Instead, in one process the homozygous recessive condition can be maintained, while crossing it with the maintainer plant. This method can be used with any situation in which is it desired to continue the recessive condition. This results in a cost-effective system that is relatively easy to operate to maintain a population of homozygous recessive plants.

A sporophytic gene is one which operates independently of the gametes. When the homozygous recessive condition is one which produces male sterility by preventing male sporophyte development, the maintainer plant, of necessity, must contain a functional restoring transgene construct capable of complementing the mutation and rendering the homozygous recessive plant able to produce viable pollen. Linking this sporophytic restoration gene with a second functional nucleotide sequence which interferes with the function or formation of the male gametes of the plant results in a maintainer plant that produces viable pollen that only contains the recessive allele of the sporophytic gene at its native locus due to the action of the second nucleotide sequence in interfering with pollen formation or function. This viable pollen fraction is non-transgenic with regard to the restoring transgene construct.

In a still further embodiment, a marker gene, as discussed supra, may be provided in the construct with the restoring transgene. By way of example without limitation, use of a herbicide resistant marker, such as bar allows one to eliminate cells not having the restoring transgene. In yet another example, when using a scorable marker, such as the Ds Red2 fluorescent protein, any inadvertent transmission of the transgene can also be detected visually, and such escapes eliminated from progeny. Clearly, many other variations in the restoring construct are available to one skilled in the art.

In an illustrative embodiment, a method of maintaining a homozygous recessive condition of a male sterile plant at a genetic locus is provided, in which is employed a first nucleotide sequence which is a gene critical to male fertility, a second nucleotide sequence which inhibits the function or formation of viable male gametes, an optional third nucleotide sequence which is operably linked to the first sequence and preferentially expresses the sequence in male plant cells, an optional fourth nucleotide sequence operably linked to a fourth nucleotide sequence, the fourth sequence directing expression to male gametes, and an optional fifth nucleotide sequence which is a selectable or scorable marker allowing for selection of plant cells.

For example, it is desirable to produce male sterile female plants for use in the hybrid production process which are sterile as a result of being homozygous for a mutation in the Ms45 gene; a gene which is critical to male fertility. Such a mutant Ms45 allele is designated as ms45 and a plant that is homozygous for ms45 (represented by the notation ms45/ms45) displays the homozygous recessive male sterility phenotype and produces no functional pollen. See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,478,369; 5,850,014; 6,265,640; and 5,824,524. In both the inbred and hybrid production processes, it is maintaining this homozygous recessive condition is important. When sequences encoding the Ms45 gene are introduced into a plant that is homozygous recessive for ms45, male fertility results. By the method of the invention, a plant which is ms45/ms45 homozygous recessive may have introduced into it a functional sporophytic Ms45 gene, and thus is male fertile. This gene can be linked to a gene which operates to render pollen containing the restoring transgene construct nonfunctional or prevents its formation, or which produces a lethal product in pollen, linked to the promoter directing its expression to the male gametes to produce a plant that only produced pollen containing ms45 without the restoring transgene construct.

An example is a construct which includes the Ms45 gene, linked with a 5126 promoter, a male tissue-preferred promoter (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,750,868; 5,837,851; and 5,689,051) and further linked to the cytotoxic DAM methylase gene under control of the polygalacturonase promoter, PG47 promoter (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,792,853; 5,689,049) in a hemizygotic condition. Therefore the resulting plant produces pollen, but the only viable pollen results from the allele not containing the restoring Ms45/DAM methylase construct and thus contains only the ms45 gene. It can therefore be used as a pollinator to fertilize the homozygous recessive plant (ms45/ms45), and progeny produced will continue to be male sterile as a result of maintaining homozygosity for ms45. The progeny will also not contain the introduced restoring transgene construct.

In yet another restoring construct example, the Msca1 gene is linked with a Msca1 promoter, and further linked to the Zea mays α-amylase gene under control of the male tissue-preferred PG47 promoter. The scorable marker used in an embodiment is DS-RED2.

A desirable result of the process of the invention is that the plant having the restorer nucleotide sequence may be self-fertilized, that is pollen from the plant transferred to the flower of the same plant to achieve the propagation of restorer plants. (Note that in referring to “self fertilization”, it includes the situation where the plant producing the pollen is fertilized with that same plant's pollen, and the situation where two or more identical inbred plants are planted together and pollen from the identical inbred plant pollinate a separate but identical inbred plant). The restoring transgene construct will not be present in the pollen cells but it will be contained in 50% of the ovules (the female gamete). The seed resulting from the self-fertilization can be planted, and selection made for the seed having the restoring transgene construct. The selection process can occur by any one of many known processes; the most common where the restoration nucleotide sequence is linked to a marker gene. The marker can be scorable or selectable, and allows those plants produced from the seed having the restoration gene to be identified.

In an embodiment of the invention, it is possible to provide that the male gamete-tissue preferred promoter is inducible. Additional control is thus allowed in the process, where so desired, by providing that the plant having the restoration nucleotide sequences is constitutively male sterile. This type of male sterility is set forth the in U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,341. In order for the plant to become fertile, the inducing substance must be provided, and the plant will become fertile. Again, when combined with the process of the invention as described supra, the only pollen produced will not contain the restoration nucleotide sequences.

Further detailed description is provided below by way of instruction and illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Example 1 Cloning and Sequencing of the msca1 Gene

Following mapping of the msca1 mutation to the short arm of chromosome 7, a map-based cloning approach was undertaken to clone the msca1 gene. The process of genomic library screenings is commonly known among those skilled in the art and is described at Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., Maniatis T., et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Lab Press, Plainview, N.Y. (1989). A large mapping population was developed using the msca1-ref allele (West, D P and Albertsen, M C. Three new male-sterile genes 1985. MNL 59:87). Markers were used to saturate map this population and an interval (155 KB) was defined by markers pco144723 and b49 p15.f that spanned 2 BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome) clones. Sequencing and additional marker development from the BACs narrowed the interval to 9 Kb. Sequence of this region revealed only one open reading frame, coding for a putative plant-specific glutaredoxin gene. The nucleotide sequence is shown in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO: 1) and the protein sequence is shown in FIG. 3 (SEQ ID NO: 2). Other glutaredoxin family members have previously been shown to have a role in plant development (Shuping Xing, Mario G. Rosso and Sabine Zachgo. ROXY1, a member of the plant glutaredoxin family, is required for petal development in Arabidopsis thaliana (2005) Development 132, 1555-1565). Glutaredoxin genes are ubiquitous small heat-stable oxidoreductases that are believed to function in a wide range of cellular processes from DNA synthesis to protein folding, redox regulation of transcription and translation, and cellular signaling, among others. In a BLAST comparison of the Msca1gene, the sequences with highest similarity were regions that had 77% identity to a glutaredoxin-like protein.GenBank access No. XP_(—)476652.

Southern analysis of the msca1 reference allele indicated that the glutaredoxin gene was deleted. Sequencing of the reference allele revealed a 7823 bp deletion, coupled with a 1268 bp insertion 4 Kb downstream from the glutaredoxin gene. The msca1-ref sequence is shown in FIG. 4 (SEQ ID NO: 3).

Example 2 Identification and Cloning of Additional msca1 Alleles

Two additional mutant alleles of msca1 were available, msca1-mg12 and msca1-6036 (Trimnell M, Fox T, Albertsen M C (2001) New male-sterile mutant allele of Msca1. MNL 75(63):31). Cloning and sequencing of the msca1-mg12 allele revealed a 490 bp deletion in the 3′ region of the glutaredoxin gene. Alignment of a fertile and sterile msca1-mg12 allele is shown in FIG. 5. Alignment of the glutaredoxin region from a wild-type plant (Missouri 17), an msca1-mg12 fertile and sterile plant is shown in FIG. 6. Missing from the sterile plant is the GSH binding site, (LPVVFVGGRLLG; SEQ ID NO: 12). A motif for the redox region, CCMC (SEQ ID NO: 11), was present in the gene, and GSH binding region, LPVVFVGGRLLG (SEQ ID NO: 12), present in fertile plant, is absent in the sterile mutant as can be seen in the alignment shown in FIG. 6.

In cloning and sequencing of the msca1-6036 allele, a ˜850 bp insertion was detected. Alignment showing comparison with a fertile plant versus the sterile allele is shown in FIG. 7. This insertion created an 8 bp host site duplication (GTCGAGAA) and it also appears to contain small perfect TIRs (See the region of the sequence following base 854 in FIG. 7, marked at the start with “TIR”). It was also noted there is ˜200 bp of significant homology at the ends of the insertion, reminiscent of a plant transposon. A graphic alignment of the msca1 coding region, genomic region, the reference allele, the msca1-mg12 allele and msca1-6036 allele is shown in FIG. 8.

Example 3 Identification of Promoter

Upstream of the likely translational start codon at 1133 bp of SEQ ID NO: 1 of Msca1, 1132 bp of DNA was present in the genomic clone of Msca1. A reasonable TATA box was observed by inspection, starting at base 921 of SEQ ID NO: 1 and about 200 bp upstream of the translational start codon. See FIG. 9, which is SEQ. ID NO15. The putative TATA box (TATAAAA) is underlined. Thus, the present invention encompasses a DNA molecule having a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: SEQ ID NO: 15 (FIG. 9), or those with sequence identity, which hybridize to same under stringent conditions and fragments, and having the function of a male tissue-preferred regulatory region.

Example 4 Library Screening to Identify Msca1 from Rice

As noted above, Msca1 is a male fertility gene in maize. When it is mutated, and made homozygous recessive, male sterility will result. An orthologue of Msca1 was identified in rice. The rice Deleteagene population was prepared and used to screen for individuals harboring deletions of the msca1 gene. (Xin Li et.al A fast neutron deletion mutagenesis-based reverse genetics system for plants. The Plant Journal Volume 27 Page 235-August 2001). With this process, random deletion libraries are produced using fast neutrons to cause mutations. The libraries are screened for specific deletion mutants using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In a typical protocol, 18 seeds from lines are pooled, planted, seedlings collected and genomic DNA isolated from the tissue. The DNA so isolated from all the mutated lines is collected into pools, beginning with mega pools, each having DNA of 2592 lines. A pair of primers are selected that are specific to sequences which flanks a gene targeted for deletion along with another pair of internally nested primers. The primers used for msca1 were as follows:

5′ TGAGCATGCATGCTAAGCTAGTACTCCAGC (SEQ ID NO: 20) 5′ GTGATCCTCTCTGATGGTGACAACGAAGAC (SEQ ID NO: 21)

The goal is to screen the library with one primer specific to the gene and a primer specific to the insertion element in such a way that one can discriminate between amplification of wild-type DNA from insertion DNA in large pools. The primers amplify both wild-type and mutant genes, but the PCR extension time is reduced in order to suppress amplification of the wild-type DNA. A long extension time is first used to confirm primer quality, then a shorter extension time to determine under what conditions amplification of wild-type DNA is suppressed. This time is used to screen the mega pools. A second round of PCR using nested primers is used to increase sensitivity. Gel electrophoresis detects the presence of amplified fragments in deletion alleles, and if a band is found in a mega pool, PCR analysis continues on smaller pool groups until a single plant is identified.

Primers derived from the rice msca1 gene yielded a putative deletion product in the initial screen of the 10 mega pools (having 2592 families per pool), which encompasses the entire mutant population. From this a deletion product in mega pool 7 was identified. This product was cloned and sequenced and was identified as a deletion allele of the rice msca1 gene as shown in FIG. 13. Subsequent screenings were performed on the nine superpools comprised of 288 families per pool, the 16 pools (having 16 families per pool), the 9 sub pools (two families per pool) to ultimately identify the individual families harboring the deletion. Two families were identified. Seed from each of these families were grown and genotyped using a set of wild-type primers and a set of primers that specifically amplify across the deletion. Family 21-77 was identified as containing the deletion in the rice msca1 gene and 2 plants within this family were homozygous for the mutation. Plants from family 21-77 were grown to maturity and male fertility phenotype was noted. The two plants genotyped as being homozygous for the msca1 deletion were completely male sterile, whereas sibling plants were male fertile, confirming the function of Msca1 in rice as being required for male fertility, analogous to the maize Msca1 function. Cytological examination of the anthers showed them to be small and mis-shapened with no evidence of microspore development. Stigmas from mutant flowers appeared to be normal. Crosses onto one of the mutant panicles resulted in seed set, demonstrating the female flower is viable. The second mutant had its panicle bagged and did not set any seed, confirming the male sterility phenotype.

Example 5 Cloning and Sequence of Msca1 from Rice

A wildtype rice Msca1 gene from plant variety M202 (Johnson, C. W., Carnahan, H. L., Tseng, S. T., Oster, J. J., and Hill, J. E. Registration of “M202” rice. Crop Science, Vol 26. January-February. 1986 page 198) was cloned and sequenced using methods described supra and the 2860 base pairs of nucleotide sequence is shown in FIG. 10 (SEQ ID NO: 16). The putative amino acid sequence is shown in FIG. 11 (SEQ ID NO: 17). A motif for the redox region, CCMC, and the GSH binding region VPVVFVGGRLLG (SEQ ID NO: 11 and 25, respectively) is present in the rice msca1 protein as shown in FIG. 11. The subclone of this gene is very similar in size and sequence composition to the maize Msca1 genomic clone that has been shown to complement the maize msca1 mutation.

Example 6 Identification of Msca1 Promoter from Rice

Upstream of the likely translational start codon at 1317 bp of SEQ ID NO: 16 (FIG. 10) of Msca1, 1316 bp of DNA was present in the genomic clone of rice Msca1. A reasonable TATA box was observed by inspection, starting at base 1008 of SEQ ID NO: 16 and about 200 bp upstream of the translational start codon. See FIG. 12, which is SEQ. ID NO: 18 showing the promoter. The putative TATA box (TATATATATATA) (SEQ ID NO: 22). is underlined. Thus, the present invention encompasses a DNA molecule having a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18 (or those with sequence identity or which hybridize under stringent conditions or fragments of same) and having the function of a male tissue-preferred regulatory region.

Example 7 Construct Preparation with Msca1 Gene

A construct designated PHP27077 is made by assembling following DNA components:

-   1. The plasmid pSB11 backbone DNA (pSB31 lacking the EcoRI fragment     carrying the 35SGUS and 35SBAR genes, Ishida et al., Nature     Biotechnol. (1996) 14:745-750). This DNA backbone contains T-DNA     border sequences and the replication origin from pBR322. -   2. The 35S:PAT gene which encodes the enzyme phosphinothricin     acetyltransferase (PAT) from Streptomyces viridochomagenes     (nucleotides 6-557 from accession number A02774, Strauch et al.     1988, EP 0275957-A) under the transcriptional control of the     cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter and terminator     (nucleotides 6906-7439, and 7439-7632, respectively from Franck et     al. 1980, Cell 21: 285-294). -   3. The Msca1 sequence as set forth in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO: 1)

Example 8 Transformation of Maize msca1 Plants

A male-sterile female which was homozygous for the msca1-ref mutant allele, (msca1) was repeatedly crossed with bulked pollen from maize Hi-type II plants (Armstrong 1994, In: Freeling and Walbot (eds). The Maize Handbook. Springer, New York, pp 663-671) resulting in the introgression of this msca1 allele in transformation amenable maize germplasm over multiple generations. The resultant source of material for transformation consisted of embryos segregating (1:1 or 3:1) for msca1 and allowed for both transformation directly into a homozygous msca1 background and to test the genetic complementation of the msca1 mutation in T₀ plants. Agrobacterum-mediated transformation was performed according to Zhao et al. 1999, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,840). Genotyping and molecular analysis (integration and plant transcription units/PTU) of transformants were done according Cigan et al., (Sex. Plant. Reprod. 1 (2001) 4:135-142). Single copy, intact PTU events were identified by Southern analysis. Msca1 genotyping was accomplished by PCR of the single copy events. No morphological difference was observed between the transgenic plants and the non-transgenic control plants except for the degree of male fertility. Transformants were completely male fertile while non-transgenic control plants were completely male sterile, indicating that the expression of the Msca1 gene complemented the homozygous recessive msca1 male sterile phenotype.

Example 9 Transformation of msca1 Plants with a Construct with Msca1 Having a Frameshift

A second construct, PHP27618, is essentially the same as PHP27077, but has had a frameshift introduced into the msca1 gene, adding four base pairs at position 1508 of the sequence SEQ ID NO: 1_) to disrupt the putative translation of the gene. Single copy, intact PTU events were identified by Southern analysis. Msca1 genotyping was done by PCR on the single copy events. Male fertility/sterility phenotype scores were taken at flowering. Results show that the frameshifted Msca1 genomic fragment does not restore male fertility to msca1/msca1 plants which indicates that the putative translation product shown in FIG. 3 is the correct translational frame for the Msca1 gene. Specific results are shown below.

PHP27077 - 10 single copy events Events Genotype Fertility 2 Mscal/Mscal F 1 Mscal/mscal F 7 mscal/mscal F

PHP27618 (frame shift) - 6 single copy events Events Genotype Fertility 2 Mscal/mscal F 4 mscal/mscal S

Example 10 Expression of Promoter

A construct PHP28154 was prepared with bases 1-1109 of the Msca1 promoter (SEQ ID NO: 15) and also included the cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) marker (Bolte et al. (2004) J. Cell Science 117: 943-54 and Kato et al. (2002) Plant Physiol 129: 913-42). Following Agrobacterium transformation (into GS3, the events were subjected to quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) of the PAT gene to determine copy number. Duplicate plants for most of the events were sent to the greenhouse. Tissue dissection from the duplicates was initiated at around the three to four leaf stage through the eight leaf stage. No signal could be seen in vegetative meristems, or in any other plant part e.g. roots, leaves. Well after the meristem had transitioned into a floral structure and anthers were being formed, CFP signal could be observed in the anther initials up through a developed anther (˜1 mm). The signal disappeared once the anther had fully developed pollen mother cells, just prior to meiosis. This observation of CFP expression demonstrates the role of Msca1 in determining anther morphology.

Example 11 Complementation Study of an Alternative Msca1 Promoter Fragment

Another construct, PHP27612, was prepared which included a smaller portion of the Msca1 genomic sequence. This fragment included 1291 bases of the genomic Msca1, starting from position 610 to 1900 bp SEQ ID NO: 1 (FIG. 2) which corresponds to a promoter length of 522 bases, from 610 to 1132 bases of the promoter sequence in FIG. 9. (SEQ ID NO: 15). The construct was prepared with the following components:

-   1. The plasmid pSB11 backbone DNA (pSB31 lacking the EcoRI fragment     carrying the 35SGUS and 35SBAR genes, Ishida et al., Nature     Biotechnol. (1996) 14:745-750). This DNA backbone contains T-DNA     border sequences and the replication origin from pBR322. -   2. The PG47PRO:ZM-AA1 gene which contains alpha-amylase 1 coding     region from Zea mays. -   3. LTP2:DS-RED2 (ALT1) which contains red florescence coding region     (a variant of Discosoma sp. red fluorescent protein (DsRed), from     Clontech mutated to remove BstEII site, codon sequence unchanged)     driven by LTP2 promoter, supra.

Plants were transformed with PHP27612 as described supra, into msca1 sterile mutants. The introduction of the construct did not complement the mutation and the plants remained sterile, indicating that there are regulatory elements outside of this 1291 basepair fragment that are required for normal Msca1 biological function.

As is evident from the above, nucleotide sequences which map to the short arm of chromosome 7 of the Zea mays genome, at the same site as the Msca1 gene, and its alleles, are genes critical to male fertility in plants, that is, are necessary for fertility of a plant, or, when mutated from the sequence found in a fertile plant, cause sterility in the plant. Thus it can be seen that the invention achieves at least all of its objectives. 

1. An isolated nucleotide sequence that is critical to male fertility in a plant, said nucleotide sequence comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 2; (c) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; (d) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant (e) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes to the full length complement of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) under highly stringent conditions of a wash of 0.1 SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS at 65° C. wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; and (f) a functional fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, which fragment is a sequence critical to male fertility in a plant.
 2. An isolated nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:
 1. 3. An isolated nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:
 2. 4. A plant cell comprising the nucleotide sequence of claim
 1. 5. A plant comprising the nucleotide sequence of claim
 1. 6. An expression vector comprising the nucleotide sequence of claim
 1. 7. A method of impacting male fertility in a plant, said method comprising impacting the expression of a first nucleotide sequence in a plant, the first nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) A nucleic acid encoding the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 2; (c) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; (d) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant (e) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes to the full length complement any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) under highly stringent conditions of a wash of 0.1 SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS at 65° C. wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; and (f) a functional fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, which fragment is a sequence critical to male fertility in a plant.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein expression of the first nucleotide sequence is impacted by a method selected from the group consisting of mutagenesis, introduction of a second nucleotide sequence oriented in the antisense direction relative to the first nucleotide sequence, co-suppression, introduction of sequences encoding hairpin formations, and introduction of second nucleotide sequence which disrupts expression of the first nucleotide sequence.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein impacting the expression of the nucleotide sequence results in male sterility in the plant.
 10. A method of restoring fertility to the male sterile plant produced by the method of claim 10, comprising introducing into the male sterile plant a nucleotide sequence comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) a nucleic acid encoding the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 2; (c) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; (d) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant (e) a sequence which hybridizes to the full length complement any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) under highly stringent conditions of a wash of 0.1 SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS at 65° C. wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; and (f) a functional fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, which fragment is a sequence critical to male fertility in a plant.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein the expression of the nucleotide sequence is prevented, and further comprising introducing into the plant a second nucleotide sequence in the plant linked to an inducible promoter wherein the second nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of: (a) SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) a nucleic acid encoding the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 2; (c) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; (d) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant (e) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes to the full length complement any of the foregoing sequences of (a)-(b) under highly stringent conditions of a wash of 0.1 SSC, 0.1% (w/v) SDS at 65° C. wherein the sequence is critical to male fertility in a plant; and (f) a functional fragment of SEQ ID NO: 1, which fragment is a sequence critical to male fertility in a plant. such that the plant is constitutively male sterile and fertility is induced by inducing the promoter.
 12. The method of restoring fertility to the sterile plant produced by the method of claim 11, comprising exposing the constitutively male sterile plant to the inducing substance so that the plant becomes male fertile.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the inducing substance is a herbicide.
 14. A method of producing hybrid seed, comprising: (a) planting in cross-pollinating juxtaposition, a first seed from a selected male fertile parent line and a second seed selected from a female parent line having male sterility produced according to the method of claim 9; (b) cross-pollinating the male sterile female plant with pollen from the male fertile plant; and (c) harvesting seed from the male sterile female plant.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the female parent line is male sterile as a result of mutation to the first nucleotide sequence, and wherein said mutant nucleotide sequence is dominant, further comprising; (d) growing the hybrid seed to produce a third male sterile parent plant; (e) producing a fourth parent plant comprising one or more genes controlling a desired gene trait; and (f) cross-fertilizing the third and fourth parent plants to produce second hybrid seed.
 16. The nucleotide sequence of claim 1, wherein said sequence is a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a nucleic acid sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
 2. 17. The method of claim 7, wherein said first nucleotide sequence is a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a nucleic acid sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
 2. 18. The method of claim 10, wherein said nucleotide sequence is a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a nucleic acid sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
 2. 19. The method of claim 11, wherein said second nucleotide sequence is a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a nucleic acid sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
 2. 20. The method of claim 14, wherein said first nucleotide sequence is a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a nucleic acid sequence encoding SEQ ID NO:
 2. 